There were those who were skeptical when Steve Jobs said Blu-ray was a “bag of hurt.” Many people thought the standard would one day come to Macs, despite Jobs’ early resistance. But here we are several years later, and optical disc drives are all but dead now across the Mac family; Blu-rays never were officially supported. However, if you own Blu-ray discs, you likely know there are lot of hardware and software options that allow you to read and play them. There’s also MakeMKV (Free), a tool for ripping them to your computer that works as long as you have the appropriate hardware.

They say yoga is good for the mind and spirit, but there are plenty of reasons why you might not be able to make it to class. There’s the time commitment of course, and it’s definitely not a cheap hobby. With Rainfrog’s Pocket Yoga ($5) though, there are no excuses. The Mac app is plenty affordable, and it allows you to practice yoga whenever and wherever you’d like.

In addition to having a company name that’s a lot of fun, SuperMegaUltraGroovy also has a really cool app called Capo ($30). It’s one of those things that kind of sounds like magic, but actually works. Capo takes the music in your iTunes library, analyzes it, and spits out guitar tablature. No more having to buy tab books or figure out the chords yourself; the app does it for you.

Time Machine local backups and Backblaze offsite storage are just fine for most users. They’re easy to use, work reliably, and are inexpensive or even free. But power users are always looking for better tools. Consider Acronis’ True Image ($50+) as a potentially superior option for backups.

Although Adobe’s move to its Creative Cloud subscription model hasn’t been popular with everyone, one undeniable advantage is the ability to stay current with your favourite Adobe apps. With this month’s release of Photoshop CC 2014, Adobe pushes the bar forward with a number of cool enhancements, and makes it all available at a new, lower $10/month subscription price that also includes Lightroom and unlimited cloud-based storage to keep all of your photos in sync across your Mac and iOS devices.

We know it can feel kind of silly to pull out our iPhone when sitting at the computer, but sometimes that’s the only way to use certain apps. Take Snapchat as an example, which has no web client or other way to access it from a Mac. While there may not be an official way, however, Lunch Money’s Snappy (Free) does the job.

If you’ve ever had to do a clean install on your iPhone or iPad, then you might know the pain of losing data in apps that don’t store it in the cloud—saved games, documents, and the like. With DigiDNA’s DiskAid ($30), there’s some salvation. Plug your device into your Mac and the app will scan it, pulling in all the relevant information. Then you can back it up on a per-app basis.

For people who are serious about digital organization on the Mac, there’s one name that tends to stand out above the rest: The Omni Group. It’s earned quite the reputation with its suite of software, including the newest title, OmniFocus 2 ($40). Sure, some may consider that expensive for an app, especially considering it’s another $40 for the pro version, but considering the 106 five-star ratings—out of 114 total—it seems to be hitting its mark.

There’s not too much information on it yet, but Apple showed off its new Photos app for the Mac at WWDC. No, not iPhoto, but a brand new app that’s coming next year. It takes all the features from the iOS 8 version of the software and brings it to the desktop. It’s based around both viewing and editing, with all your photos stored in the cloud. We’re looking forward to hearing more in the future.

The past few years haven’t been great for RSS, with the biggest blow coming from Google’s discontinuation of Reader service. There are of course still viable RSS readers out there, but nothing stands out as a clear winner. Here’s one to consider: Vienna (Free), from The Vienna RSS Project. As the open source software core behind the now-abandoned RSS app NewsFire, Vienna is fully featured, and has seen continuous updates for years.

Coming from Feral Interactive, one of the preeminent game publishers on the Mac App Store, Hitman: Absolution - Elite Edition ($29) is the latest big name title to make it to the Mac. As is usually the case, it’s trailing the original console release by a few years, but at least that means a lower price and DLC bundled in. One of the titles in the series that’s the inspiration for Hitman GO, recently released on iOS, this is a much more violent game, tasking you with assassinating people left and right.

It’s done it with Star Wars, it’s done it with Harry Potter, and it’s done it with Lord of the Rings. Now, Feral Interactive is bringing the LEGO treatment to Marvel’s super heroes with, well, LEGO Marvel Super Heroes ($30). Set in Manhattan, this title is full of the trademark LEGO game humor we’ve come to expect, plus over 100 playable characters, including both heroes and villains.

There’s no question that Internet security has been a huge concern over the past few weeks and months, especially in the face of the Heartbleed exploit. That’s why apps such as AgileBits 1Password 4 ($50) are so important. We’ve covered the software in the past, but it does so much more now than just fill in passwords on websites. The most recent update specifically addresses Heartbleed with its Watchtower feature.

Some people may say zombie games are overdone, a genre that’s jumped the shark. Be that as it may, Deep Silver’s Dead Island ($22) is still among the best and deserves some attention. First released back in 2011—yes, it’s a bit of a gap—the title is finally available on the Mac through the Mac App Store. At least that waiting has a payoff, as there are two DLC packs included with the download, and a special weapon.

From Broken Rules, the developer of the extremely well regarded And Yet It Moves, comes Secrets of Raetikon ($10), a new game now available in the Mac App Store. Not surprisingly, it’s a visually stunning adventure, although the style is totally different than that earlier title. Playing as a bird flying through the game, you explore a story that becomes revealed through interactions with the world and ancient runes.